By CK Nayak
In Kashmir, it is generally said it is a ‘mini-India’, and indeed it is, whether you go by the past, present or future of the border state. Kashmir was said to be set up by Kashyap Rishi and hence the name. Earlier, it was ruled by Hindus, Muslims and even for a brief period by the Sikhs. So it is its demography in addition to the Buddhists in Ladakh.
Even when Jammu and Kashmir merged with India, the ruler was Hindu and the subjects were Muslim majority. Unlike any other state, Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution and flag besides the Indian Constitution and the National Flag.
But this place, described as “the paradise on earth”, is also a pot boiler with three nuclear powers sharing its territory and each claiming its own. Most parts of J&K belong to India after the merger of the former princely state. Some parts are occupied by Pakistan and the latter has ceded some territory to China, which is known as Aksai Chin.
The state is nearly normal today than what it was decades ago barring the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits. This has happened even though late Sheikh Abdullah’s forefathers were Pundits who were converted during the Muslim rule.
But there was no sign of tension, either communal or insurgency, anywhere this correspondent went for a week last month.
Aam Aadmi, including sadhus, commute by buses which went to the pilgrimage side, Amarnath Yatra. Maszids give out blaring calls for daily prayers. Tourists are visiting the spots as usual. Shops and business establishments are open despite presence of heavy security all over.
But there is a difference. The number of tourists is less, especially who have come from outside the state even in this peak season. And the business establishment related to this industry is not doing good business because of that.
Tourism industry is taking a back seat creating concern among tour operators. Hotels are running with minimum reservation and boathouses dotting across the Dal lake are almost empty. The sikaras that ferry tourists are idle and the roadside vendors who sell goods and services to the flocking visiting tourists are having an empty look. Even the ponies that carry tourists and pilgrims are in poor health as their owners. There is not much income and so fodder is less.
Unfortunately, this is happening to a state whose bulk economy is dependent on tourism and virtually nothing else. The landlocked state has not much industry because of its landholding system. Outsiders cannot buy land and without land, no industry is coming to the state.
Being mostly hills, the state’s agriculture output is also less. But the state used to earn huge money from tourism, both domestic and international, which has dried up now.
Surprisingly, the reason most say is a bad press. No news sometimes is called good news. But bad news is definitely worse. That is what is precisely happening to Jammu and Kashmir as a whole and its tourist spots in particular.
Huge publicity even to sporadic violent incidents is blown up by the media, mostly electronic, out of proportion. What follows worse is the evening TV debate with so-called experts who claim the situation in the sensitive border state as most volatile.
Surprisingly, this bad publicity is not given by the local media. “We send facts and in the evening they give dramatically opposite picture quoting so-called experts on the state some of them never even served here,” said the local journalists. They are victims from all sides.
Back home the common tourists get frightened and change is his or her destination. And net loss is to the common man in Kashmir and its fragile economy depending heavily on sole source of income — tourism.
A visit to Pahalgam, one of the best tourist places in J&K, tells the whole story. Nestled in the terrorist affected Anantnag district gives no impression of disturbances at all. Tourists mostly from outside are few but move freely with no sign of tension anywhere.
“But the news mainly TV debates are killing us more than the terrorists,” said one hotel owner to this visiting correspondent recently. But for fear of possible reprisal he does not give his name.
Pahalgam is a popular tourist destination and hill station located 45 km from Anantnag on the banks of the Lidder river at an altitude of 7,200 feet. It is associated with the annual Amarnath Yatra.
Chandanwari, located 16 km away is the starting point of the yatra that takes place every year in the months of July-August.
Tourists are coming but in trickle, the hotelier said. They were coming in thousands, now they are few hundred. As a contrast, the Amarnath yatra is on with common people and sadhus moving in groups.
But their number is also less since out of just fear not many are going on the once dream journey. “If this is the case of pilgrims what will happen to tourists,” he asks.
Helicopters ferrying high-heeled Amarnath tourists fly almost nonstop. But they are few and carrying capacity is also less.
The picturesque Pahalgam with its famous Betab Valley (named after Betab film) has everything to offer to a tourist. Apart from the sheer scenic beauty, the valley offers trekking, fishing, tenting, rafting, horse riding and everything else a tourist wants. It has some ancient temples and Jamia Masjid with river flowing at the background.
But bad TV, locals insist, has turned tourists away from Kashmir to other destinations. “Historically Kashmir, known as the heaven of India, is the prime destination but now it has been reduced to stopover destination for tourists visiting Ladakh,” the hotel owner said.
Bollywood film crews have cancelled shooting or have to shift the location to Ladakh or nearby states due to the situation in Kashmir. The number of tourist arrivals here has come down to around 200 to 250 per day from around 1,200 to 1,500 earlier.
Naturally, hotel occupancy is at an all-time low, and it ultimately has an impact on the overall economy. Ironically, even this year’s bookings were there until September and good rush of domestic tourists in October were expected. But almost 90 per cent of online bookings were cancelled. This has happened despite all time low air fares and massive room discounts!
This has a cascading effect. Many hotel owners are not paying their staff and some even have asked them to leave. The tourist guides are sitting idle and the small shopkeepers and vendors have a grim look all they have. Since there are no tourists nobody is buying anything. Taxi drivers who used to earn at least RS 1,000 a day are now content with hundred.
Tourists return happily after visit and Kashmir continues to be the safest place for women visitors but turmoil is turmoil and isolated violent incitements are blown out of proportion which scares them. Even simple law and order problem are given insurgency or at times communal colour which gives a negative image.
Even the pilgrim footfall has gone down. So far not more than 2.5 lakh pilgrims have kept their date with the cave. The arrivals fell to a trickle after an attack one of the buses in July. Kashmir is a place that does not require publicity but despite best of efforts the visitors are much less. Hotels have slashed tariffs but still there are no takers.
Luckily one of the main sources of survival these days is the local visitors. Schools come for picnics and these parks are filled and some money goes to the market, especially to the small business. But even earlier we used a continuous flow of the local tourist but now it is only on weekends.
Unlike other tourist’s areas Pahalgam and other spots give a variety of entertainment besides the lovely snow capped hills and ever flowing rivers. While the hills offer sports like trekking, hiking, hot air balloons and paragliding the rivers offer rafting, fishing and camping facilities. There are historic temples as well as mosques for spiritual visitors.
But despite the plethora of natural beauties available in plenty in the state, many complained about the bad publicity which has ruined tourism, the main source of the state’s economy, and indirectly, this has added fuel to insurgency since unemployed youths are resorting to arms. Again this is having a cascading effect on the picturesque state and its beautiful people.
